The serious Christian living in this fallen world will find himself
constantly challenged by the world's values and ways. Many issues of
life will confront him. To walk faithfully before God, he has to learn
to respond to the various issues of life from the perspective of God's
eternal kingdom. This is especially important because of the pervasive
negative influence of the spirit of the world, which has seriously
distorted God's values.

In the last three messages of this book, we will reflect on one major
issue that confronts all of us - the issue of success, ambition and
accomplishment. We will consider this issue from the biblical
perspective. As we do so, let us learn how we can likewise ponder over
other issues in life, and how we can respond to them in a wholesome
manner.<1>

The world associates a successful life with material wealth, status,
recognition, fame and power. All over the world, people are intent on
achieving success in life. They invest much time and energy pursuing
worldly success, ambition and accomplishment. For many, seeking worldly
success is what life is all about. But how does the Lord look at such
issues?

This may seem a strange question to ask. Some Christians may recoil at
its mere mention because they tend to associate terms like “ambition”,
“prosperous” and “successful” with worldliness.

Indeed, Christians should beware of the teaching that if you are doing
well as a Christian, you will have earthly wealth and prosperity. Sadly,
this unwholesome teaching has made inroads into many Christian circles
and we do well to avoid being enticed by it. Yet, we should not then
think that the area of success, ambition and accomplishment has no place
in the life of a true disciple of the Lord.

Properly understood, this area has a very important place in the lives
of believers and ought to be encouraged and emphasised. What is needful
is to distinguish between true success and worldly success and to
examine the motivation behind the pursuit of success. Is it for personal
gain and glory or is it for the glory of God and the advancement of His
kingdom? The critical issue is: Are we seeking worldly success and
prosperity or success and prosperity in God's kingdom?

We should seek true success because it glorifies God. Indeed, attaining
true success and accomplishment is at the heart of biblical revelation
and exhortations, both in the Old and the New Testaments, and should be
the goal of every Christian.

The success and accomplishment that the people of the world seek are
temporal and have no eternal value. But true success and accomplishment
have eternal worth. Why then do Christians not pursue true success and
accomplishment with the same zeal and passion as non-Christians pursuing
their earthly goals? Indeed, believers ought to be even more highly
motivated to succeed and prosper in God's kingdom. Instead, many are
lukewarm and complacent in this area.

The lives of God's faithful servants such as Moses, Daniel and Paul
exemplify this motivation to succeed in God's kingdom. And the life and
ministry of the Lord Jesus exemplify it perfectly.

The Lord Jesus: A perfectly successful life

The Lord Jesus lived a perfect life - one of success and accomplishment
every step of the way. When He uttered on the cross, “It is finished”,
He declared that He had accomplished all that God the Father wanted Him
to. Although not everyone responded positively to Him and to His
ministry, He was successful in that He did His part perfectly. He lived
out the perfect will of the Father.

It is not obvious that the Lord Jesus lived a successful life on earth.
He was born of poor parents. He did not amass earthly possessions and
had neither earthly power nor status. He had to endure humiliating
treatment by sinful men and was put to death in a most excruciating
manner - death on a cross. Hanging there on the cross, apparently lonely,
helpless and without obvious accomplishments, His life must have
appeared to be a total failure in the eyes of the onlookers. But in
reality, throughout His life and ministry on earth, climaxing in His
death on the cross, He was laying the groundwork and foundation for the
kingdom of God.

Even while He was being afflicted and crucified, the Lord Jesus was
prospering. In Isaiah 52:13, it was prophesied of the Lord: “Behold, My
servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly
exalted.”

Even as He was lifted up physically on the cross, He was also being
“lifted up” in the spiritual sense. The lonely, agonising death on the
cross was in reality a demonstration and an accomplishment of supreme
power, glory and triumph in the spiritual realm (Col. 2:15).

Indeed, His death on the cross made it possible for mankind to attain
full salvation. His death opens the way for us to be forgiven of our
sins and to be reconciled to God, be born of the Spirit and enter God's
kingdom, and experience a life of righteousness, peace and joy in the
Holy Spirit. We no longer have to be in bondage to sin and to the powers
of darkness. We can live a life of triumph and victory if we exercise
true faith on the basis of the Cross.

The Cross is the ultimate expression of love. It is the supreme example
of faithfulness and obedience to the will of God the Father. These are
crucial issues in the establishment and advancement of God's kingdom.

The Lord Jesus lived out God's will perfectly. God is likewise concerned
with whether we seek to live out His perfect will for our lives. This is
what we must concentrate upon: How He assesses us during our earthly
journey, and how He is going to assess us when we face Him in eternity.
Have we accomplished what He desires of us, or have we been complacent
and indifferent about it?

The kind of accomplishment that glorifies God

What kind of accomplishment glorifies God the Father? Certainly, it is
not the fleshly achievements that the people of the world and many
Christians glory in. The accomplishment that glorifies God is best seen
in the life of the Lord Jesus. He fulfilled the perfect will of the
Father when He walked on this earth. In His prayer to the Father, the
Lord Jesus said:

John 17:4
“I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You
have given Me to do.

Fulfilling the Father's will was of utmost importance to the Lord Jesus.
Fulfilling the Father's will is true accomplishment. It glorifies God.

Likewise, we should wholeheartedly and earnestly work towards
accomplishing what God desires of our lives. We can never pursue this
too earnestly. Our failure has been a lack of zeal, earnestness and
perseverance in this direction. To the degree we have done His will, to
that degree we glorify God and succeed in life.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament encourage us to live a
successful life and show us the way to attain it. Joshua 1:1-9
highlights this and also shows us the conditions for success.

Joshua 1:1-5
1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,
that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' servant, saying,
2 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you
and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons
of Israel.
3 “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to
you, just as I spoke to Moses.
4 “From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river,
the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the
Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.
5 “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.
Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you
or forsake you.

It was a momentous occasion. Moses was dead and the Lord was speaking to
Joshua whom He had earlier commissioned and appointed leader over Israel
(Deut. 31:23; Num. 27:15-23). Joshua's role and responsibilities were
significant. They involved the exercise of authority and leadership
responsibility pertaining to God's work and the fulfilment of God's
purposes.

The Lord assured Joshua that He would be with him to help him (v. 5). He
further encouraged Joshua:

Joshua 1:6-7
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession
of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all
the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the
right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.

The Lord wanted Joshua to be consistently successful and He explained to
Joshua the way to true success. “Do not turn from it to the right or to
the left”, the Lord said to him in verse 7. Joshua was not to deviate
from the path of obedience. He was not to act according to his own ways
or desires, but “according to all the law”, that is, God's revelations,
teachings and instructions.

Joshua 1:8
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall
meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according
to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will have success.

God wanted Joshua to be “prosperous” and to have “success”. He told
Joshua how this could come about. The book of the law was not to depart
from his mouth. He was to meditate on it “day and night” so that he
would “be careful to do according to all that is written in it”.

Joshua was to meditate on the whole of God's revelation, not just
selected portions here and there. He was to assimilate the truth into
his life such that his whole life would manifest the true intent of
God's instructions. This would help him draw near to God and deepen in
his knowledge of God and fellowship with Him. His character, perspective
and way of life were to be moulded by the instructions and ways of the
Lord.

Likewise, God wants us to be obedient to Him and to His instructions in
the Scriptures. He wants us to study, understand and absorb into our
lives all that He has revealed to us. If we are faithful in following
the true meaning and spirit of His teachings and instructions, He will
also make our way prosperous, and we will have success.

Joshua 1:9
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or
be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The principles reflected in these words to Joshua are applicable to us.
God wants us to be strong and courageous. We need not be fearful or be
dismayed when we encounter trials, sufferings, temptations and
pressures. If our hearts are set to do God's will, He
will be with us wherever we are.

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus highlights the moral and
spiritual qualities that are necessary for a life of blessedness. When
we have such qualities in our lives and the right attitude and spirit,
the Lord will be with us in a favourable sense. We will then be assured
of success. When we are poor in spirit and learn to mourn, when we
hunger and thirst after righteousness, when our hearts are pure, we will
be able to grow well and contribute to God's kingdom.

We should seek, personally and together as God's people, to achieve as
much as we can according to God's guidance and enabling and the
principles He has revealed.

In this way, God will be truly pleased with our lives and we will attain
a life of true blessedness. This is the biblical meaning of a prosperous
and successful life, and it ought to be the goal and earnest desire of
all true disciples of the Lord.

However, a truly successful life may not always be obvious or easily
recognised by others, especially by non-Christians. Christians, and even
the person himself who has attained to such a life, may also not
appreciate what is taking place. You may wonder how this can be so. Let
us consider the example of Joseph.

Joseph

Genesis 37 and 39 record a period in Joseph's life when he suffered
terrible ordeals. Out of jealousy, his brothers sold him to Midianite
traders, who in turn brought him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the
captain of Pharaoh's bodyguard. As a slave in Potiphar's household,
Joseph was put in charge of everything his master owned. One day, his
master's wife tried to seduce him. She persisted over a period of time,
but Joseph steadfastly rejected her advances. Being rebuffed, Potiphar's
wife falsely accused Joseph of sexual assault. On hearing his wife's
account, Potiphar became very angry and had Joseph imprisoned.

From the world's viewpoint, Joseph did not appear successful during this
period of his life. His own brothers sold him and he served as a slave
in a foreign land. Not only that, he was falsely accused and unjustly
imprisoned. How could he possibly be considered successful? Even
Christians would have difficulty recognising a person going through such
times as successful or prospering. And it would not be surprising if
Joseph did not see himself as successful and prospering during this
period of his life.

Yet Genesis 39:2-3, 23 pronounce Joseph successful and prosperous.

Genesis 39:2-3
2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in
the house of his master, the Egyptian.
3 Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused
all that he did to prosper in his hand.

Genesis 39:23
The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph's charge
because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to
prosper.

It is remarkable that this pronouncement on Joseph being successful and
prosperous refers to the period when Joseph was a slave in a foreign
land, and when he was subsequently falsely accused and unjustly
imprisoned (the margin of the NASB indicates “successful” in verse 2 can
also be translated “prosperous”).

Verses 2-3 and verse 23 tell us that Joseph was successful because God
was with him and caused all that he did to prosper. This is the key
factor. God was pleased with Joseph, and He therefore enabled and
undertook for Joseph in what he was going through.

So long as Joseph was faithful to God, his life would not be lived in
vain, even if it appeared to others a pitiable life. There would be
spiritual health, positive growth and development. His life would be a
positive testimony for God in the spiritual realm, and there would be
contribution to God's kingdom. This remained true regardless of the
outward circumstances.

The apostle Paul

The apostle Paul is an outstanding example of one who lived a successful
life and he accomplished much for God. But the descriptions of his life
in various passages of the Scriptures are not what would generally be
associated with a life of success.

In 2 Corinthians 6:3-10, Paul testified about the difficulties he went
through in the course of serving the Lord.

2 Corinthians 6:3-5
3 giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not
be discredited,
4 but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much
endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,
5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in
sleeplessness, in hunger,

In this passage, Paul reveals much about his attitude, perspective and
approach in life. It is intended to instruct us on how we too ought to
live our lives. He explained how he sought to live a blameless life as
God's servant in the midst of various trials and difficulties.

Paul had to endure afflictions, hardships, distresses, beatings,
imprisonments, tumults, labours, sleeplessness and hunger (vs. 4-5) in
the context of a faithful and effective ministry. It was a life God
approved of. He was indeed prospering, but not in a way the world could
recognise.

While many Christians would find it difficult to associate such
experiences with a prosperous and successful life, Paul's testimony
illustrates the reality that going through difficulties and hardships is
an integral part of the life of a successful servant of God.

Verses 6 and 7 reveal the critical aspect of the moral and spiritual
dimension in a life of true success and prosperity.

2 Corinthians 6:6-7
6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit,
in genuine love,
7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of
righteousness for the right hand and the left,

The expression “in the Holy Spirit” in verse 6 tells us that Paul lived
according to the guidance and enabling of the Holy Spirit. In the
original Greek text, there is no distinction between what is in
upper-case letters and what is in lower-case letters. It is therefore
possible to also translate “in the Holy Spirit” as “in the holy spirit”.
It would then mean “in the spirit of holiness”. So “in the Holy Spirit”
could mean “according to the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit”
or “in the spirit of holiness”. Both meanings are possible. The second
rendering is also consistent with the context. Paul is here referring to
moral qualities like purity, patience, kindness and love. These have to
do with what is in the heart and spirit of the person - in this case, Paul
himself.

Such moral qualities are indispensable in a life of true success and
prosperity. It is also important to have the right approach - “in the word
of truth, in the power of God” - and to be properly equipped with “the
weapons of righteousness”. The effective soldier of God's kingdom wields
weapons of righteousness like love, patience, kindness and truth, unlike
the weapons used by the world, which are the fleshly and aggressive
kind.

In verses 8 to 10, Paul describes the varied and contrasting facets of
the successful and effective Christian life.

2 Corinthians 6:8-10
8 by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as
deceivers and yet true;
9 as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished
yet not put to death,
10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as
having nothing yet possessing all things.

Here he draws a contrast between how he and his co-workers would appear
before the world and how they are in reality and in the eyes of God. He
emphasises what true spiritual riches are in contrast to worldly riches.

“by glory and dishonor”

In his service, Paul was sometimes treated with honour and sometimes
with dishonour. How he was treated was not critical to Paul; his primary
concern was to be faithful to the Lord.

“by evil report and good report”

Sometimes he received a good report, and sometimes a bad report. But it
did not matter to Paul; his concentration was on how the Lord viewed his
life and service, and he knew the Lord was pleased with him.

“regarded as deceivers and yet true”

Though he was regarded as a deceiver by some, he was in reality true to
God and lived a life of truth.

“as unknown yet well-known”

He was regarded as unknown, yet he was well-known. In this world, he
might be regarded as an unknown, but in God's kingdom, he had stature
and distinction.

“as dying yet behold, we live”

His outer man went through much bodily afflictions and he would be seen
as dying, but in reality he was living the true spiritual life, a life
of fullness and abundance.

“as sorrowful yet always rejoicing”

He might have appeared sorrowful to other people, but he always had the
joy of the Lord.

“as poor yet making many rich”

He had little material possessions, yet he could make many rich from the
perspective of God's kingdom.

“as having nothing yet possessing all things”

He appeared deprived in the eyes of the world, yet he was spiritually
rich and had an abundance of true and lasting possessions. Though
“having nothing”, he was in reality “possessing all things”. “Possessing
all things” can also be viewed from the angle that we can have access to
all things, as if we possess all things. Nothing can prevent us from
having what the Lord wants us to have, and from using them as He desires
us to.

God has revealed to us the way to true success and accomplishment in His
kingdom. When we abide by His instructions, when we walk in truth, we
will attain to it. This is true however man may regard us and even when
the outward appearance suggests otherwise.

As disciples of the Lord, we must be deeply motivated to strive for true
success and accomplishment. But how should we go about it?

The way of the world is the way of the flesh; it is characterised by a
life of self-seeking, personal ambitions and desire for worldly success
and achievements. The way of the kingdom of God is the opposite. To
truly succeed in God's kingdom, we have to give up all fleshly
ambitions and desire for worldly success and accomplishment. To the
degree we fail to give them up, to that degree we will fail to achieve
true success.

The way to true success and accomplishment is perfectly exemplified in
the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. It involves living according to the
principle of “the grain of wheat must die”, which the Lord Jesus Himself
taught in John 12:24.

John 12:24
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the
earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

By prefacing His statement with the words, “Truly, truly, I say to you”,
the Lord Jesus emphasised the significance of what He was about to
communicate. The context was His impending death on the cross, which He
referred to in verse 23: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be
glorified.”

Bearing much fruit in verse 24 - true fruit in the kingdom of God - refers
to a life of success and accomplishment. How does it come about? Verse
25 (read with verse 24) provides the answer.

John 12:25
“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world
will keep it to life eternal.

If the grain of wheat refuses to die, it will not bear fruit. Likewise,
if we cling to our lives and refuse to follow the principle of death, we
will not be able to succeed.

We have to say “no” to all our selfish, personal and worldly desires. We
have to concentrate on living only for God and what is pleasing to Him.
That was the principle that the Lord Jesus lived by throughout His life
(John 8:29), and this manner of living climaxed at the Cross.

Having only one ambition - to be pleasing to Him

We should have only one basic ambition - to be pleasing to the Lord. That
was the secret of Paul's success. In this respect, he was following the
example of the Lord Jesus - to be pleasing to God whatever it may
involve.

2 Corinthians 5:9
Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be
pleasing to Him.

Whether he dies and is with the Lord, or he lives on in this world, Paul
seeks always, then and through eternity, to be pleasing to the Lord.

Philippians 1:20-21
20 … with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in
my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Paul's goal in life was to exalt the Lord at all times, whether by life
or by death. The Cross and its implications for mankind were upon his
heart. He wanted to do what the Lord had entrusted to him, to follow all
His instructions and to do so in the power of God.

The people of the world are gripped by the desire for worldly success
and prosperity. As Christians, we should be wary of this and not be
enticed by this desire.

Yet the Scriptures does speak of success and prosperity for God's
people. There is a legitimate place for success, ambition and
accomplishment in the life of true believers. It should, however, be
achieved in God's way, according to His desire, and by His guidance. A
primary goal of the instructions and exhortations in the Scriptures is for us
to succeed in our lives. We must not neglect this area of doing well in
God's kingdom. Instead, we should encourage and emphasise success and
faring well from the biblical perspective.

The Lord Jesus is the perfect example of a life of success and
accomplishment. He glorified God the Father while He was on earth by
accomplishing the work God gave Him to do. Likewise, we must also strive
to succeed in life and glorify the Lord by being faithful to Him and
accomplishing all that He requires of us. It is imperative that we have
the moral and spiritual qualities of heart and spirit to be able to walk
the path of faithfulness and experience the life of blessedness and
fruitfulness.

(Endnote)1.MessagesAR140-165 on the website www.godandtruth.com
address other issues of life and explain in greater detail the meaning of being
truly strong and truly rich, the meaning of true greatness and true dignity, and
how we should understand the subject of sorrow and pain, peace and joy.